The present invention relates to liquid storage containers for manually dispensing liquids such as cleaning solutions for contact lenses, and more particularly relates to dispensing nozzles on containers for liquid which must be stored in sterile condition.
Liquids, for example, solutions for cleaning and conditioning contact lenses, have typically been stored in manually squeezable bottles from which the user can repeatedly dispense the stored liquid. These liquids must be uncontaminated by microorganisms such as bacteria. Accordingly, expensive bactericidal agents have sometimes been included in liquid formulation, as for example, in saline formulations for cleaning contact lenses. Furthermore, the squeezable dispensing bottles have sometimes been provided with nozzles including diaphragm structures which control the dispensing flow as well as sealing the liquid cavity during storage, as described in the afore-mentioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,255,826, 5,183,184 and 5,025,957. These patents describe nozzle structures which can be employed on dispensing containers to provide for either air aspirated liquid dispensing capability or non-aspirated liquid dispensing.
The dispensing nozzle structures in accordance with the present invention provide nozzle improvements particularly in sealing configuration and materials.